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Trevor Putnam knew the gun laws. The officer who stopped him didn’t. “When I told him that I hadn’t done anything, he said he’d find a reason to put me in jail,” said Putnam, 24, who works with guns every day as vice president of Coal Creek Armory in West Knoxville. “It’s not that I have a problem with police officers. I deal with police officers nationwide from Arizona to Maine every day. But I lost my confidence in a legal right that I knew I had.” Knoxville police officers will get a refresher course on the state’s gun permit...

A new report by Police Chief Charlie Deane showing how an illegal immigrant arrested on suspicion a traffic violation or minor crime could soon face deportation proceedings in Prince William County is expected to set off a strong debate over the issue Tuesday. Although many Prince William County residents have been pushing for tougher immigration enforcement, others have warned that Deane’s proposal could make life tougher for the community’s Hispanic population. “It will instill fear and distress for police in the community and increase racial tension,” said Nancy Lyall, coordinator for Hispanic outreach organization Mexicanos Sin Fronteras. “It will drive...

WENDOVER, Utah (AP) -- The police chief resigned after his wife was arrested in a drug bust at a Nevada nightclub where she performed as a stripper named "Ecstasy." Mayor Brett Shelton said he asked for Vaughn Tripp's resignation "on grounds of embarrassment." He quit Thursday after leading the four-member police force since October 1998. Sylvia Tripp, 39, was arrested last week in Elko County, Nev., just over the Utah-Nevada line, on suspicion of drug distribution and possessing medication without a prescription. The bust occurred at Southern X-Posure, a strip club in West Wendover, Nev. The Tripps could not be...

CALGARY (CP) - Been searching for that brand-new Beretta handgun, a form-fitting female flak jacket or maybe the latest chemical-protection suit ideal for any military-style raid? Welcome to the police chiefs trade show, where more than 150 exhibitors are displaying the latest in cop gear, weaponry, technology, squad cars and rows upon rows of miscellany designed to warm the cockles of any constable's heart. Calgary police Sgt. Peter Prims had his eyes on a set of sweet new onboard cameras and computers as he cruised the show Tuesday. "I'd like to check out the body armour," added Const. Adam Kelly....

<p>Police chief, activists to announce new procedures at morning news conference.</p> <p>Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz will hold a news conference just a few minutes from now with members of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos to explain new police procedures regarding illegal immigrants.</p>

ABINGDON, Va. — The Damascus police chief was arrested Saturday and charged with distributing methamphetamine. Anthony Stephen Richardson, 40, was arrested without incident at the city police department, Virginia State Police Sgt. M.T. Conroy said. The arrest was the result of an undercover investigation in which a confidential informant bought methamphetamine from Richardson on June 12, according to court documents.

CLAY CITY, Ky. (AP) - A trusting, small-town police chief - the city's only officer - was fatally shot Wednesday after he cuffed a suspect's hands in the front instead of the back, authorities said. In most circumstances, officers cuff in the back to restrict mobility. But cuffing in the front was a practice that Chief Randy Lacy, 55, often used when arresting people he knew, said Greg Adams, a Powell County sheriff's deputy. The suspect, who had been stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence, had a long criminal history, records show. It wasn't clear how the suspect...

The two men, Rudolph W. Giuliani and his former police commissioner William J. Bratton, had not spoken to each other in 10 years. When they had crossed paths at social gatherings, they exchanged little more than icy nods. But time, tragedy and a presidential campaign have started to change all that.

City of Pewaukee - Police Chief Gary Bach will serve a 10-day suspension without pay for using inappropriate language after an investigation determined he unacceptable and derogatory terms when referring to females and minorities, documents released today show. The suspension was issued by Mayor Scott Klein and begins on Monday, according to a letter dated today that Klein had delivered to Bach. The investigation into Bach, whose salary is $82,951 for 2007, was launched after City Administrator Tammy LaBorde received a letter from a female officer complaining of language she said Bach used in referring to her in conversations with...

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (UPI) -- A Florida police chief who sent members of his department an e-mail complaining about lack of physical fitness has been forced to resign. The memo from Paul Goward, head of the police department in Winter Haven, had as its subject line "Are you a jelly belly?" the Orlando Sentinel reported. "As I look around the department I see a disconcerting number of us that appear physically challenged with obesity and/or a general lack of physical fitness," Goward told his officers. In the e-mail, he said overweight police officers give a poor public impression and have...

AL ASAD — Despite sustaining a severe a wound during an insurgent attack earlier this month, a prominent Iraqi police chief vows to continue his fight to keep Iraq’s western Al Anbar province safe. Col. Shabban Barzan al-Ubaidi of the Baghdadi Police Force says the fact that he survived the attack is “proof the enemy cannot take (his) life away, only God can, and God is not on the enemy’s side.” Despite the attack, his police forces remain undeterred and Iraqis in the Al Anbar province are still willing to join Ubaidi’s police forces, he said. Baghdadi is a town...

SNYDER, Okla. Snyder Police Chief Tod Ozmun, Mayor Dale Moore and City Councilman Clifford Barnard are resigning in the midst of a controversy over Ozmun's wife appearing nude on a Web site. Ozmun had said earlier he would not step down, but now says he's fed up with the controversy and that the situation has become a media circus. Moore says he finds nothing wrong or illegal with what Ozmun's wife was doing and he doesn't want to work in what he calls "a community like this." Barnard also says he's disgusted with the situation that's brought national media attention...

As friends and co-workers continued to mourn the death of Holland Police Chief Doug Kaiser yesterday, questions remained about why the veteran officer took his own life. "It's a big shock," Holland Mayor Mike Yunker said last night. "Right at this point, we're just trying to deal with what has happened and not so much [with] what transpired moments before." Co-workers, fellow officers, and passers-by left flowers and signed Chief Kaiser's police cruiser, parked in front of the village administration building as a makeshift memorial. The 45-year-old police chief, born and raised in Holland, shot and killed himself in Sidney,...

A defiant Police Chief William J. Bratton on Tuesday rejected a call to apologize for criticism of some Los Angeles City Council members, including Bernard C. Parks. Bratton said he had a right to speak his mind because the former police chief turned politician has been attacking him for more than a year. Bratton made the remarks a day after City Council President Eric Garcetti called on the chief to apologize for and recant a statement he made publicly that Parks and Councilman Dennis Zine "don't know what the hell they are talking about" when they criticized changes in LAPD...

SAN LUIS OBISBO, Calif. - Former Los Angeles police chief and state Sen. Ed Davis, whose tough rhetoric during the turbulent 1970s made him popular with conservatives, died Saturday, a family spokesman said. He was 89. Davis died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital in San Luis Obispo, family spokesman Rob Wilcox said. He had been hospitalized since April 12, and his situation worsened Friday night, Wilcox said. In more than 50 years in public service, Davis rose through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department from street cop to chief from 1969 to 1978. Known for his...

MONTERREY, Mexico - The former police chief of the border city of Nuevo Laredo on Friday said he resigned because he was tired from the stress of working in a city dominated by drug cartels fighting a bloody turf war. Omar Pimentel, 38, resigned late Wednesday, hours after police found three charred bodies dumped by the side of a road leading into Nuevo Laredo. Police did not immediately know how the bodies got there or who was behind the killings. "The truth is that I was tired. It's a tough job and with so much pressure that it becomes mentally...

Nine chiefs of police have endorsed a letter written by Belleville Police Chief Dave Ruebhausen urging that three Illinois state troopers charged with weapons violations not to be prosecuted. If they are guilty, they should be punished administratively, according to Ruebhausen's letter given Tuesday to the News-Democrat.The letter also was endorsed by two state senators, two sheriffs and retired Belleville Police Chief Terry Delaney, a former U.S. marshal.But a statement on Tuesday issued by interim U.S. Attorney Edward McNally cautioned, "These matters are now in public court ... no doubt many of the officials (listed in the letter) will look...

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- Two police chiefs were shot and killed within hours of each other in a violence-plagued region near the United States where drug smugglers have been battling for control of key routes across the border. It wasn't immediately clear if the killings Monday were related, but authorities say violence has spiked in Mexico's northeast since the 2003 arrest of the area's top reputed drug dealer set off the turf war. Hector Ayala, chief of police in the wealthy town of San Pedro Garza Garcia outside Monterrey, was killed Monday when a car overtook his vehicle and opened...

BELLEVILLE - Nine chiefs of police have endorsed a letter written by Belleville Police Chief Dave Ruebhausen urging that three Illinois state troopers charged with weapons violations not to be prosecuted. If they are guilty, they should be punished administratively, according to Ruebhausen's letter given Tuesday to the News-Democrat. The letter also was endorsed by two state senators, two sheriffs and retired Belleville Police Chief Terry Delaney, a former U.S. marshal. But a statement on Tuesday issued by interim U.S. Attorney Edward McNally cautioned, "These matters are now in public court ... no doubt many of the officials (listed in...

The Central American Free Trade Agreement-Dominican Republic is struggling to get on its feet after six Central American countries, including the Dominican Republic, failed to meet a Jan. 1 preliminary start-up date. All CAFTA countries have ratified the agreement with the exception of Costa Rica, El Salvador being the first in December 2004 and Nicaragua the most recent in September 2005. "All countries recognized the Jan.1 date was an ambitious goal and that they might not have completed their implementation process by that time," said Stephen Norton, spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative office. At issue are the "technical changes"...

Embattled Greensboro Police Chief Resigns 10 minutes ago Greensboro Chief of Police David Wray has announced his resignation. In a letter dated Monday morning, Wray said events of the past several months created controversy and hurt his ability to lead the force. Assistant Chief Tim Bellamy was named acting chief effective immediately, according to City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Wray has dealt with allegations of a unit in his department targeting officers with investigations based on race. Johnson is reviewing a report concerning the accusations. Scheduling of officers has also caused unrest in the department. Johnson last month told Wray he...

Saturday December 31, 2005 SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) The township's police chief was suspended for two weeks without pay for smoking in a patrol car. The Township Board of Trustees on Thursday voted to uphold the suspension of Chief Clarence Perry, which was to end Friday. It cost him about $1,400 in pay, the Hillsdale Daily News reported. ``They're hitting me up for $1,400,'' Perry said. ``That's a very expensive cigarette.'' Perry was suspended after a complaint that he smoked two cigarettes while driving a minor home. Perry has been chief of the rural Hillsdale County township for more than...

New Orleans -- The city's police chief Thursday came out in support of an independent review board to investigate police shootings, a demand made by black ministers after a black man was killed by officers earlier this week. Police Superintendent Warren Riley met with the ministers for nearly two hours and said afterward that he will back their request to the City Council for an independent review process. The meeting came three days after police shot and killed Anthony Hayes, 38, who was wielding a hunting knife. Hayes' confrontation with 18 officers — but not the shooting itself — was...

Lutcher -- Police Chief Corey Pittman entered a guilty plea to three counts of distribution of five or more grams of cocaine and is facing up to 120 years in prison according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Lutcher was arrested in August following an investigation in which he directly sold crack cocaine to an undercover operative on three separate occasions in June and August of this year. “The distribution of dangerous narcotics by a law enforcement officer such as Corey Pittman - sworn to protect our citizens - and particularly those actions by a chief of police, is nothing short...

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- The city's police chief left his loaded service pistol in a restaurant bathroom last month and didn't realize it until another officer returned the gun to him. When he realized his mistake, Chief Bob Deutsch wrote an e-mail to the entire department stating what he had done. He then wrote himself a written reprimand. "When I walked out of the restroom, I forgot it," Deutsch said Wednesday. "There are no excuses. Personally, I think that's a serious violation of policy." A customer found the .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol in a holster on a countertop at Jeffrey's...

BELLEVUE, WA – Following almost a year of silence on the gun control issue, Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske recently came back into the spotlight, supporting yet another piece of gun legislation, while authorities still haven’t found the chief’s semiautomatic pistol, stolen from his car in 2004. During a press conference in Seattle earlier this week, Kerlikowske observed, “It’s important to me to do whatever I can to keep illegal guns out of our communities.” That remark brought a quick response from Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, based in Bellevue. “If the chief really wants to make...

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Opelousas' former police chief, Larry Caillier, was indicted on charges of filing a false claim to a federal agency, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday. Between August 2000 and June 2003, Caillier submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, through the Opelousas Housing Authority, claims for payment that he "knew were false, fictitious or fraudulent," according to the bill of information filed in U.S. District Court. The Opelousas Housing Authority entered into three contracts with the police department to provide officers for a bicycle patrol to fight illegal drug trafficking in public housing,...

(From New Glarus, WI to Iraq and back) NEW GLARUS, WI - Monitoring the Iraqi police forces was less stressful than policing a small town can be, according to one Army sergeant who knows. "Actually, it was in many ways less stressful because we had one big job to do, not a thousand little jobs like I have here," said Sgt. First Class Steve Allbaugh, known in New Glarus as the police chief. "It was a more simplified setup, and we didn't deal with juvenile crime, domestic disputes and citizen complaints. Obviously, it was more dangerous because here I don't...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Eddie Compass, who resigned as the New Orleans police chief four weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, will work as a security consultant for a hotel group. Compass said he had numerous job offerings before deciding to take the position with New Orleans Fine Hotels, a collection of 11 hotels in the city's historic districts. Compass' resignation from the police department was unexpected, although the force had been wracked by desertions and disorganization in Katrina's aftermath. As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department saw many...

SAN DIEGO -- In the final days of her campaign for mayor of the nation's seventh-largest city, Donna Frye is being asked about her image as a lightweight surfer chick. "Go ahead and think of me as a lightweight," she told a moderator during a live television debate Wednesday. "You might be surprised." Frye, a Democratic councilwoman and surf-shop owner, came within a whisker of winning the job during a write-in bid in November 2004. But a year later, it doesn't appear the city is ready for Mayor Frye — despite her bigger-budget campaign and a more polished image. With...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Jackson County judge throws out contempt charges against the city's top cop. Kansas City Police Chief James Corwin was accused of editing out the last five minutes of a 2004 tasering incident that cost two officers their jobs. The video from a dashboard camera showing the arrest of 24-year-old Matthew Butt was given to the media in its entirety, but a shortened version was given to Butt's lawyer. The judge asked Corwin last week to explain why he did not submit the whole tape. Corwin says it was a lack of communication between the department...

DETROIT -- A judge on Tuesday found Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings in contempt of court for failing to reinstate seven command officers who were demoted as part of a cost-cutting plan, a union lawyer said. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Isidore Torres issued the ruling after a 90-minute hearing, said Mary Ellen Gurewitz, who represents the Detroit Police Command Officers Association. He ordered the chief to reinstate the officers by Friday and to return to court on that day to show that she has complied, Gurewitz said.

Police chief faces drug, gun charges 10/28/2005 10:00 AM By: Associated Press BETHEL, N.C. -- Two top police officers in the Pitt County town of Bethel have been charged in a drug and gun probe by federal authorities. Police Chief Reginald Roberts and Lt. Jerome Cox were arrested Thursday following an undercover operation on charges of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. The chief also was charged with unlawfully selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Authorities believe the men were distributing crack cocaine in Beaufort County. Investigators said they were able to purchase several guns that Roberts sold to a...

Saturday, October 22, 2005 BOCA RATON — Police Chief Andrew Scott, already under fire for releasing a wealthy friend from custody, in August ordered a traffic stop on a city resident so a Miami TV news reporter could interview him, according to a memo written by the sergeant who reluctantly followed the command. Scott ordered two assistant chiefs to have an officer help WPLG-Channel 10 reporter Julie Summers get an interview with a contractor who had been dodging her attempts to speak with him, according to the memo obtained by The Palm Beach Post. Sgt. Jeff Kelly was asked to...

Am I the only conspiracy theorist left here, regarding the resignation of the NOLA chief? I haven't heard one wild speculation, so here goes: I guessing he was told by the FBI that his padding the police rolls could result in charges relating to the wrongful deaths of NOLA citizens. I will then speculate that he was told he could ride out that storm on his own, or else he could go into witness protection and rat on the higher ups in government (recall LA politicians are the most investigated and convicted officials in the nation). The key will be...

coming up ...not sure whether he will be talking about looting or payroll padding

NEW ORLEANS — Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force was wracked by desertions and disorganization in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. "I served this department for 26 years and have taken it through some of the toughest times of its history. Every man in a leadership position must know when it's time to hand over the reins," Compass said at a news conference. "I'll be going on in another direction that God has for me." As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department itself...

What happened in your city, Chief? CHIEF DONALD DIXON, LAKE CHARLES, LA: Well Larry, it's kind of a good news, bad news story. The good news is is we didn't have the utter total devastation we anticipated. The bad news is is we took a very serious hit. We have a lot of wind damage a lot of trees that are down into houses, some catastrophic losses. We didn't lose entire blocks, like you saw in Mississippi, be had some minor flooding yesterday that's receded. The good news is is yesterday it was basically a search and rescue, we hit...

BATON ROUGE, La. - Fed up with the criticism, New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass said Monday that his officers held their ground without food, water and even ammunition in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "In the annals of history, no police department in the history of the world was asked to do what we (were) asked," Compass said with a mix of anger and pride. Two police officers killed themselves. Another was shot in the head. Compass said 150 had to be rescued from eight feet of water and others had gotten infections from walking through the murky soup...

The Chief of Police in New Orleans has said the city has been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Almost nobody remains in the flooded area. Edwin Compass denied that the few remaining survivors are being forced to leave, but said there is no reason to stay in New Orleans. “There are no jobs, there are no homes to go to, no hotels to go to-there is absolutely nothing here. "We advise people that this city has been destroyed. It has completely been destroyed. We try to direct them to get out of town so that they can get with family members...

New Orleans Police Chief Edwin Compass said Friday that hurricane rescue efforts were hampered when relief workers came under attack by the city's criminal element, prompting conditions that resembled "urban warfare." "We have never had an urban warfare battle like this on any front in the history of our nation," Compass told NBC's "Dateline." "You're fighting in buildings that are pitch black with darkness. These individuals have root - the criminal element have looted all the gun shops and gun stores in this city, so they're armed, they're dangerous." Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief Michael Brown, under fire for his...

Minn. Chief Resigning After Crashing Car Friday August 26, 2005 3:24pm COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (AP) - The Cottage Grove police chief has agreed to resign over his leaving the scene of an accident after rolling his vehicle in Lakeville. John Mickelson was scheduled to be the city's on-call police supervisor the night of May 8, when his vehicle was found on its top with the motor running. Lakeville police didn't find him until 13 hours later. Mickelson said he left the scene to seek medical attention. Authorities found Mickelson's badge and loaded gun as they searched his vehicle. They also...

Reuben Greenberg, the longtime (23-plus years) chief of the Charleston, South Carolina, police department, retired on Tuesday. In the words of Charleston Post and Courier reporter David Slade, he "turned the . . . Police Department into a national model. In the process, he became a celebrity and a source of pride for the city . . . "

LOS ANGELES - The police chief on Friday fired an officer who was videotaped last year beating a suspected car thief with a flashlight. Police Chief William Bratton agreed with last month's recommendation by the department's Board of Rights that John Hatfield be dismissed for using unnecessary force. Hatfield struck the suspect 11 times with a flashlight after a high-speed chase on June 23, 2004. The suspect, Stanley Miller, was down on the ground, with officers swarming around him, when Hatfield hit him. Hatfield, who is Hispanic, was videotaped by television news cameras hitting Miller, who is black. No other...

To help subdue the fears of illegal immigrants who are crime victims or witnesses, D.C. police Chief Charles H. Ramsey recently reaffirmed the department's policy barring officers from asking people about their citizenship status. "Officers are strictly prohibited from making inquires into citizenship or residency status for the purpose of determining whether an individual has violated the civil immigration laws or for the purpose of enforcing those laws," Ramsey said in a statement earlier this month.Chief Charles H. Ramsey is hoping to bolster cooperation with immigrants.

Hudson (N.H.) police Chief Richard E. Gendron says he has nothing against immigration but warns that "if you want to come to this country, come in the front door." Otherwise, he vows, illegal aliens caught in his town of 25,000 will be charged with criminal trespass.

The National Association of Chiefs of Police released its 17th Annual Survey of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs and some of the survey findings are surprising and compelling. The survey -- released in the January 2005 issue of Police Times Magazine -- had some surprising results on various topics including terrorism, gun control, homeland security, and drug enforcement. NACOP asserts that the public perception of how police view certain issues is based on media coverage, which is not necessarily accurate. When police chiefs and sheriffs are allowed to respond to poll questions anonymously, the politics may be removed from their answers....

Wanted: Stolen car. Make and model: Ford Crown Victoria. Owner: D.C. police department. Reported stolen by: Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey. So goes the saga of car theft in the District, where even the police chief's department-issued car can get swiped a block from his home. "There is not a whole lot to add to it," Ramsey said. "The car was taken, and there was nothing of real value in it. Cars are getting stolen every day." D.C. police officials said Ramsey's black unmarked car was stolen between Friday night and Sunday morning from a street in Southwest Washington. It...

D.C. Police Chief's Unmarked Police Car Stolen ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) -- District of Columbia Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey has personal insight into the city's car theft problem. The chief learned Sunday morning that his unmarked black 1999 Ford Crown Victoria was stolen not far from his home. ''When he went to go to the car to go to church, he discovered that it was missing,'' said Sgt. Joe Gentile, a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department spokesman on Monday. The vehicle had been parked near Ramsey's home by another officer Friday evening while the chief was out of town. Investigators...

[snip] Wanted: Stolen car. Make and model: Ford Crown Victoria. Owner: D.C. police department. Reported stolen by: Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey. So goes the saga of car theft in the District, where even the police chief's department-issued car can get swiped a block from his home. "There is not a whole lot to add to it," Ramsey said. "The car was taken, and there was nothing of real value in it. Cars are getting stolen every day." D.C. police officials said Ramsey's black unmarked car was stolen between Friday night and Sunday morning from a street in Southwest Washington....